Virgil J Muench

1904-1971 Inducted 1990

A native of Algoma, Muench attended law school at Marquette University and subsequently practiced law in Manitowoc and Green Bay.

He served the Izaak Walton League as a county and state president and national director and also was active in the Audubon Society and Wisconsin Society of Ornithology. Muench battled tirelessly against water pollution and destruction of wild rivers.

A landmark case was his opposition to a power company proposal to dam the Namekagon River, resulting in a 1951 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision defining public rights in state rivers and streams.